The Test Rule feature lets you simulate your alert rule against current monitoring data to see what it would trigger — without creating a real incident or sending notifications.
How to Test a Rule
- In the left sidebar, click Alerts, then Alert Rules.
- Click the rule you want to test.
- Click Test Rule on the rule detail page.
PulseAPI evaluates the rule against the current state of all monitors in scope. A summary appears showing:
- Which monitors would currently trigger the rule
- The current value of the metric (response time, status code, uptime %, SSL expiry days) for each monitor
- Whether the rule would fire for each monitor
What the Test Does (and Doesn't Do)
Does:
- Evaluates the rule condition against current real data
- Shows you which monitors meet the threshold right now
- Helps you calibrate thresholds before saving
Does not:
- Create an incident
- Send notifications to your channels
- Affect the rule's cooldown timer
- Appear in check history
Using Test to Calibrate Thresholds
The test feature is especially useful when setting response time thresholds. If you run the test on a new rule set to "> 500ms" and you see 30 monitors matching, that threshold is too low for your fleet — it would generate constant noise. Raise it until only the monitors you actually care about alerting on appear in the results.
Similarly for uptime rules: if a "< 99.9%" rule shows no monitors in the test result, consider whether the threshold is meaningful for your current data.
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